Lucille Ball: The First Lady of Comedy

[Chris2]

Desi was Cuban but of European ancestry. Cuba has people who are natives as well as those who have African ancestry. But it also has people of purely European heritage. The Arnaz family was considered aristocracy.

 

[ClassyCo]

Funny little clip with Lucy, Betty White, Carol Channing, and Dick Martin all on PASSWORD:

 

[Seaviewer]

Carol Channing looks like she's fresh off The Love Boat.

 

[Crimson]

Lucy talks to Mary

 

[ClassyCo]

My brother and sister-in-law bought me this board game for my birthday. I've never even heard of it I don't think.

 

[Crimson]

I give very little credence to such lists, but I give Variety credit for listing I LOVE LUCY as the greatest TV show of all time. If nothing else, it's impressive that they overcame what is often the greatest failure of such lists: recency bias.

VARIETY: The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

I give very little credence to such lists, but I give Variety credit for listing I LOVE LUCY as the greatest TV show of all time. If nothing else, it's impressive that they overcame what is often the greatest failure of such lists: recency bias.

VARIETY: The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time

Yes, I just read the list - isn't Rupaul's DRAG RACE on it?

Presentism is a problem in the 21st century. About ten years ago, I read one of those lists, counting down the 25 best (or worst) series finales "of all time" and only one or two of them occurred before 2007 -- and this was ten years ago! Obviously, the list was compiled by a nine year old (one still unable to drink even today).

Also, a lot of these lists are based on IMDb ratings, though, and that always favors recent shows from recent years.

 

[ClassyCo]

We have two Lucy-orientated threads going, but I figured this was alright to post here.

LUCY is a 2003 telefilm with Rachel York as Lucille Ball and Danny Pino as Desi Arnaz. It was originally a three-hour movie on CBS, premiering fifty-two years after I LOVE LUCY debuted.

It is a decent enough movie, but it has its inaccuracies like all biopics. It makes Desi the villain in the saga of Lucille Ball. The story goes from Ball's early life until the split up of the Ball-Arnaz marriage in 1960.

Has anyone else seen it?

 

[Chris2]

I think I saw parts of that one (IIRC, they tried to recreate some of the classic I Love Lucy moments with York - big mistake).

I think the challenge with trying to tell Lucille Ball’s story on film is that while her professional life was remarkable, her personal life wasn’t. She had a turbulent first marriage, eventually got a divorce, and then had a second marriage which lasted through the rest of her life. That’s not a unique story.

 

[ClassyCo]

I think I saw parts of that one

I originally saw it many years ago online, but it was an edited version and so much was cut out of the running time.

(IIRC, they tried to recreate some of the classic I Love Lucy moments with York - big mistake).

Yes, they recreate the big bread scene, the Vitameatavegamin commercial, the chocolate factory, the "I'm having a baby" scene, the grape stomping scene, and maybe one or two more.

The scenes weren't all that good, but honestly, I didn't think they were too bad. From what I've seen, York's rendition was better than what Debra Messing and Nicole Kidman did.

I think the challenge with trying to tell Lucille Ball’s story on film is that while her professional life was remarkable, her personal life wasn’t. She had a turbulent first marriage, eventually got a divorce, and then had a second marriage which lasted through the rest of her life. That’s not a unique story.

You've honestly got a point here. Maybe a good biopic should tackle her television career from I LOVE LUCY to the failure that LIFE WITH LUCY ended up being.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I don’t think I’ve seen the 2003 film. I often get bored with these movies when they turn to their rocky marriage. I think the subject has been beaten to death. I much prefer when they delve more into the behind the scenes stuff with the show itself but of course people want to hear about the marital stuff too so I get it.

 

[ClassyCo]

much prefer when they delve more into the behind the scenes stuff with the show itself

Have you ever seen the FINDING LUCY documentary? It's a good look at the behind-the-scenes aspect of her shows and career.

 

[DallasFanForever]

Have you ever seen the FINDING LUCY documentary? It's a good look at the behind-the-scenes aspect of her shows and career.

I remember seeing it once. I think it was awhile ago though. I enjoyed that one, and if I’m recalling correctly it seemed to be much more accurate than the movies. I’m not a fan of the inaccuracies that get perpetuated sometimes but I do get it.

 

[Crimson]

I think the challenge with trying to tell Lucille Ball’s story on film is that while her professional life was remarkable, her personal life wasn’t. She had a turbulent first marriage, eventually got a divorce, and then had a second marriage which lasted through the rest of her life. That’s not a unique story.

Desi is the one who led the fascinating life: scion of Cuban aristocrats; life upended by revolution; destitute immigrant; rising star; rowdy playboy; marriage to a woman more famous than him; show biz empire; self-destructive behavior.

The only way the story of Lucy could be compelling is to focus not on the details of her life, but the motivation and inspiration of her work; she loved her career more than her husbands or her kids.

The problem with both TV movies about Lucy from the 90s, aside from being predictably mediocre, is they cast actresses who looked more like Carol Burnet than Lucy. People seem to forget that Lucille Ball was a beautiful woman.

 

[Seaviewer]

You've honestly got a point here. Maybe a good biopic should tackle her television career from I LOVE LUCY to the failure that LIFE WITH LUCY ended up being.

Have you ever seen the FINDING LUCY documentary? It's a good look at the behind-the-scenes aspect of her shows and career.

The only way the story of Lucy could be compelling is to focus not on the details of her life, but the motivation and inspiration of her work; she loved her career more than her husbands or her kids.

The most interesting aspect of her life is arguably as a producer and studio head.

 

[Crimson]

The most interesting aspect of her life is arguably as a producer and studio head.

Biographies that focus on a specific aspect of a life, rather than the entirety, are often more interesting. Other than the "Red Scare" (already covered in BEING THE RICARDOS), Lucy's years as head of Desliu are probably the most narratively compelling for a film. I suspect most filmmakers would approach this devoid of nuance, and just portray Lucy as a powerful GirlBoss bitch. Her time as studio head was complicated. She was, by most accounts, quite competent in the role. She righted the studio after it had been floundering under Desi's final, drunken years. She ran the studio with enough of a creative open mind to allow adventurous shows like MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE and STAR TREK to be developed. All the while running and starring in her own top rated sitcom.

But she also hated the stress and responsibility of running the studio. She herself said that after particularly hard decisions, she would often go to her dressing room to cry. She faced frequent challenges from stockholders over the studio not being profitable enough. And the job seemed to acerbate her natural tendencies to be sociopathic, alienating her some of longtime colleagues (Vivian, her writers).

While a nuanced view of all of that could be an interesting film, I think we'd likely get an extended version of the MOMMIE DEAREST boardroom scene.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Lucille Ball was in a class by herself.
There will never be another like her.

 

[ClassyCo]

Ms. Mojo still lists I LOVE LUCY as the "funniest sitcom of all time."

The problem with both TV movies about Lucy from the 90s, aside from being predictably mediocre, is they cast actresses who looked more like Carol Burnet than Lucy

Frances Fisher plays Lucy in BEFORE THE LAUGHTER. She doesn't look like her at all, and I've never seen the movie.

 

[Crimson]

I think Lucille Ball has been portrayed four times on screen; not counting various parodies of Lucy Ricardo (Gilda Radner; Jane Curtin; Debra Messing; etc.)

Gypsi DeYoung in THE SCARLETT O'HARA WAR (1980)


(Lucy wasn't yet a redhead circa the late '30s)

Frances Fisher in BEFORE THE LAUGHTER (1991)




Rachel York in LUCY (2003)




Nicole Kidman in BEING THE RICARDOS (2021)




Every one of these portrayals miss the obvious: Lucille was gorgeous. The only one that comes close is Kidman, but Botox ruins the effect. The rest look like Carol Burnett in Lucy Ricardo drag.

 

[ClassyCo]

Gypsi DeYoung in THE SCARLETT O'HARA WAR (1980)

I forgot she was briefly a character in that movie.

Frances Fisher in BEFORE THE LAUGHTER (1991)

I can't see her without seeing Ruth DeWitt Bukater from TITANIC (1997).

Rachel York in LUCY (2003)

I honestly thought Rachel York looked pretty good as a TV movie-of-the-week version of "Lucy".

Nicole Kidman in BEING THE RICARDOS (2021)

I've yet to see this movie (might never see it), but I don't think Kidman looks like Lucy at all. I've never found her attractive anyway.

Every one of these portrayals miss the obvious: Lucille was gorgeous

She was quite attractive in her youth, but I don't think she aged very well. Those cigarettes eventually caught up with her and she aged prematurely.

A Harlow-esque Lucille Ball, early 1930s style.